


Things Unseen

by Alidravana



Series: Hurts Like Hell [11]
Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Genre: Day12, FebuWhump2021, Gay Bashing, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Violence, day16, day20, day23, day24, day26, day28
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:42:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29720178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alidravana/pseuds/Alidravana
Summary: A series of prompts for FebuWhump 2021.The harassment that Clay has been receiving for being outed escalates.The next part to 'Unwanted Exposure'.  Please pay attention to the tags, as they will be changing as more chapters are posted for more prompts.
Relationships: Trent Sawyer/Clay Spenser
Series: Hurts Like Hell [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140548
Comments: 65
Kudos: 75
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 12 ("Who are you?") prompt for Febuwhump 2021.

“What?!” He shouted, surprised as a dark, thick sack was thrown over his head and quickly secured. Hindered by the sudden loss of sight, he was unprepared for the first punch that was sent his way, a hard punch right in the kidneys. Letting a grunt out as he slightly curled to protect his body, he swung wildly in the direction of his attacker, managing to land a successful blow. He could hear the thump as a body hit the ground, his lucky swing managing to knock the man out. 

He could hear at least two other men, their boots making a crunching noise as they moved in the gravel. It sounded as though one was coming up behind him, so he stuck out an elbow trying to catch them off guard. Once again, he made contact, but the hit wasn’t as successful this time. He winced as his attacker forced his arm behind his back, rendering him immobile. Then the beating started in earnest. 

A hard punch came from his left, hitting him hard in the jaw. His head snapped back from the force of the blow. As he started to choke on the blood filling his mouth, another punch came from his right, landing on his rib cage. He groaned as he struggled to catch his breath. And then he began to lose track of the hits. 

He was finally dropped to the ground, his body becoming dead weight. He had sense to protect his head with his hands, tucking himself into a small ball. But the men now started kicking him, his back, his legs, his head. Tears filled his eyes. He was in so much pain. He couldn’t remember a time he felt this much pain.

“Okay boys,” the lead attacker said, motioning for the others to step back. “That’s enough, remember, we want him to be able to send the message.” 

He was having trouble remembering. What message? Did someone say something at the start of the attack? His body felt heavy, and his mind even more so. He flinched, letting out an involuntary whimper as the leader grabbed him by his neck, lifting him partially off the ground. “Who, who are you?” He managed to whisper, each breath feeling like a sharp knife twisting in his chest. 

“Tell your boyfriend that homos don’t belong in the military,” the leader whispered harshly into his ear, dropping him back down to the ground. He could hear the other men utter more derogatory slurs as they left him there, bleeding. He finally succumbed to his injuries, welcoming the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Clay smiled down at Pepper as the two of them ran the last lap of the park. He missed Cerberus, but was glad that he was able to retire with Jason, the two worn warriors now keeping each other company. 

Pepper’s tongue hung out as she panted, but she still showed no signs of slowing down. Meanwhile Clay was definitely tiring. Brock had already bowed out a few laps ago, his ankle still bothering him from their last spin up. He told Clay to do another couple laps with Pepper, the dog still rearing to go and that he would wait until they were done.

Clay frowned as they came towards the parking lot, not seeing the dark haired man in sight. Pepper let out a low whine, her head going back and forth looking for Bravo 5 as well. Clay startled at her yelp, but then chased after her as she ran frantically across the parking lot.

Clay gasped. He stood, frozen in shock as he looked at his brother laying bruised and bloody on the ground. Brock wasn’t moving. Pepper’s sharp bark brought him back to full awareness. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he quickly dialled 911 while checking for a pulse, his hands trembling. 

“911, what is your emergency?” The operator’s voice came across the call.

“I need an ambulance, right away, at Bayview Park,” Clay said, hating how his voice sounded a bit shaky. He was finally able to find Brock’s pulse, but it was shallow and faint. “My friend is unconscious, and I keep having trouble finding a pulse. He’s been severely beaten,” Clay paused, looking over Brock worriedly. There were bruises and scrapes all over Brock, and what appeared to be a rope or belt impression around his neck. Clay couldn’t see any signs of major trauma, but internal bleeding or a concussion was highly probable and could account for Brock being unconscious. Brock’s wrist also appeared to be bent at an improper angle and what little breaths that Clay could hear sounded wheezy. 

“I’m sending police as well,” the operator said, coming to the conclusion that they would be needed, and hit her buttons to send out a patrol car as well. “Are you and your friend safe sir?”

“Y-yes?” Clay stuttered in response, a bit confused at the question while he was looking at his broken brother. The two had gone for a run, with Pepper, like they have done so many other times while back home. This should have been a safe location. They were home. 

“Sir, can you please confirm your response? Are you safe?” The operator repeated, concerned at the man’s previous response.

“Sorry, yes ma’am, we are safe. Whomever attacked Brock is no longer here,” Clay responded, realizing what she had meant with her original question.

“Okay, ambulance should be arriving in two minutes sir, please stay on the line,” She said, noting the updated ETA on her board. Clay nodded, and held the phone between his ear and shoulder, listening to her reassurances as he used the sweatshirt tied around his waist like a blanket to keep Brock from going into shock. Grasping Brock’s less injured hand in his one hand and patting Pepper’s head with his other, he sat and waited for the ambulance to arrive.

The next few minutes went by so slowly that it felt like hours. But then he heard the sounds of a siren. The ambulance quickly pulled in with its lights flashing, followed by a police car. The paramedics hopped out and rushed over, but paused when they saw Pepper growling at them. Clay had to pull Pepper away from Brock while reassuring the paramedics that she was a trained K9 and that the injured man was her partner. 

After securing Brock’s head and spine, the paramedics quickly loaded him up, rushing off to the nearest hospital. They wouldn’t let Pepper in the ambulance, so Clay had to stay behind while his brother went off alone. 

Clay tried answering the police’s questions to the best of his ability, but he didn’t know anything. Pepper and him were out running at the time of the attack, and he wasn’t even the first to see Brock, it had been Pepper who found him. Sensing that he wasn’t fit to drive, one of the officers volunteered to drive the two of them to the hospital, which Clay accepted gratefully.

Slumped in the back of a police car with Pepper sprawled on top of him, Clay pulled out his phone to call Jason. Luckily Jason answered after the first couple of rings.  
“Hey Clay, what’s up?” Jason asked, slightly confused why Clay was calling him in the middle of the day.

“It’s B-Brock,” Clay said, stumbling over his words a bit. “He’s been attacked. I’m on my way to Mapleview.”

“Attacked? What happened?” Jason said confused, grabbing his jacket and motioning for Ray to do the same. The two had been having afternoon beers at the Bulkhead talking about retirement and Ray getting back on the team. Ray looked at Jason, worried at the words that Jason just used. But he grabbed his jacket and followed Jason to his truck, no questions asked.

Jason switched his phone to bluetooth so that him and Ray could both hear what Clay had to say. “I don’t really know,” Clay admitted, stroking Pepper’s head that was resting on his thigh. “Brock and I were out for a run with Pepper when Brock’s ankle started to act up. He decided to sit out a few laps and when Pepper and I got back to the parking lot, Pepper found him -” the words caught in Clay’s throat. He couldn't find the words to describe that horrific scene. “It’s really bad Jason. He still hadn’t regained consciousness when the paramedics came.”

Jason and Ray exchanged a worried look. “Okay kid, when you get there, find out what you can about Brock’s status. Ray will call the rest of the team and we will all be there shortly.”

Clay nodded, and then realized that Jason couldn’t see that. “Yes, sir,” Clay responded on the phone and then hung up, feeling suddenly exhausted. Clay was relieved when the police car finally pulled up to the emergency entrance at Mapleview. The officer jumped out and let Clay and Pepper out, expressing his wishes that Brock get better.

“Thanks,” Clay responded, bending down to clip on Pepper’s leash and to make sure her vest was visible. Then the two of them headed on in to see how Brock was doing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 16 Prompt (broken bones) for FebuWhump 2021.

Trent nodded, listening carefully to Dr. Andrews as she went through the list of Brock’s injuries. The majority of them were injuries that Trent would expect from a severe beating, including broken ribs, severe bruising, internal bleeding, and likely a grade 3 concussion. Brock had already undergone surgery for the internal bleeding and they were able to get it under control for now. He also had several small fractures in his right hand, along with a broken wrist, which would all heal in time. What worried Trent the most was the possibility of brain damage. Dr Andrews explained that they were still monitoring increased swelling on his brain and Brock had yet to regain consciousness, even though it had been a few hours since the attack. They wouldn’t know for sure until Brock woke up.

Shaking Dr. Andrews’ hand, Trent returned to the main waiting room to update the rest of the team on Brock's condition. By that time, it was a rather full room. Jason and Ray arrived right after Clay did, and he and Full Metal weren’t far behind. Sonny, Lisa, and Blackburn all came as a group, and Trent was a tad surprised to see that Mandy had made it as well. No one really knew what she was up to these days, or where. Trent also spotted a familiar head of curly hair over in the corner. 

Raising his hand to stall the guys, Trent went over to where Brock’s younger look-alike was pacing back and forth. “Hey, you’re Brock’s brother, right?” He asked, double-checking that he had the right person.

“Yes, I’m Brandon,” the younger Reynolds said, reaching out to shake Trent’s hand. “And this is my partner Alex,” he added, pulling the slender man who had been standing behind him over, taking his hand in his. 

"Ahh, that explains it," Trent said, as he glanced between Brandon and Alex.

"Excuse me?" Alex asked, angry on his partner's behalf, not liking the way the man was looking at him and Brandon.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud, not that that really excuses the thought at all," Trent rambled, trying to find the words to what he meant.

"What Trent is trying to say and failing spectacularly at," Clay added, inserting himself into the conversation and resting his hand in the crook of Trent’s elbow. "Is that Brock has been incredibly supportive of our coming out to the team." He gave a small smile to the two men and squeezed Trent's arm gently.

“I’m sorry," Trent apologized, giving Clay a grateful look for helping him. "I'm Trent, the team’s medic.” Trent explained. “Why don’t you two come on over and I can fill everyone in at once?”

Brandon nodded and the four men went back over to the rest of the team. After a series of brief introductions, Trent laid out what the doctor had told him, including the possibility of brain damage. Several questions were asked, and Trent tried to answer the best he could, but he really couldn’t say anything definite about the extent of the brain damage.

Trent sat down next to Clay, squeezing in between his partner and the edge of the couch. Putting his arm around Clay, he interlocked his fingers with Clay’s, needing some closeness and reassurance. He noticed Clay’s slight jump at the contact, as neither of them showed much affection in front of the team. They were working very hard to not blur the lines between Bravo 4 and Bravo 6, and Trent and Clay. But Trent could also see Clay’s body relax as he leaned back into his chest. 

“Close your eyes, babe,” Trent said softly, giving Clay’s hand a slight squeeze. “I’ll wake you if something comes up.” Clay had been up early to go for the run with Brock and he looked exhausted, his eyes already partially closing as he leaned against Trent. He could hear Clay mumble a quiet thanks and then he drifted to sleep in his arms. Trent glanced down at his lover, feeling a pang of guilt at the relief he felt that it wasn’t Clay lying unconscious in the hospital room. When he got the call from Ray, he had feared the worst. 

Slightly tightening his grip around Clay, Trent scanned the room, checking in on each of his brothers. It was a trained instinct, to check in on his team and their well being. But additional family members and significant others’ had started to flow in, assisting their loved ones. Trent nodded at Max as she came into the waiting room, pointing his head in the direction of Scott. 

His gaze landed on Brandon and Alex, both deciding to sit with the team and wait for any news. Brandon was curled into Alex, the latter rubbing his back and whispering reassurance in his partner’s ear. He couldn’t help but smile. They were a reminder of Brock’s unconditional acceptance; first of Clay, and then of himself and their relationship. Trent refocused on the doors to the patient wing, willing the doctor to return with good news. Brock had to be okay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 24 Prompt (memory loss) for FebuWhump 2021.

Brock came to with a quiet groan. He could hear the steady beep of medical machines along with that eerie quietness that existed only in a hospital. Everything hurt, from his head to his toes. The pain was slightly dulled, likely due to some heavy narcotics. He tried to take a deep breath, but the sharp pain that ripped through his rib cage stopped him from being able to breathe the way he wanted to. 

Panting slightly, Brock struggled to open his eyes. He was only able to open them a crack, maybe there was some swelling? His eyes landed on Clay, who was sleeping in what looked to be an incredibly awkward sitting position. Clay's hand was resting on Trent's hair, as if he had been playing with it before falling asleep. The older medic was also out, with a light snore, his head laying in Clay's lap.

"Trent?" Brock whispered, trying to get the medic's attention. He attempted to reach out with his hand, but stopped when he saw the cast on his wrist.

Trent sat straight up at the sound of Brock's voice, his abrupt movement also causing Clay to wake. "Clay, go get the doctor," Trent said, practically shoving Clay out of the room as he stepped closer to Brock.

"What happened? Where are we?" Brock managed to get out, wheezing through his speech. Trent poured a glass of water, tilting the straw so that Brock could have a couple sips of the cold liquid. Brock sent a grateful look to his friend, not wanting to say anything else.

"You don't remember anything?" Trent asked, frowning slightly. Brock could read his brother’s expressions like the back of his hand. There have been numerous missions where one of the team has gotten hurt and Trent had watched over them, showing all sorts of concern through his facial expressions but rarely wording it. Brock did not like the look that was being sent his way. Trent was worried, really worried.

Brock mouthed the word no, knowing that it wasn’t a good idea to shake his head or move his body at all. What happened? Why were Trent and Clay in his room together? And where was Pepper? If they had been on a mission, Pepper would have been with him. He tried to look around the room for her.

“Pepper is fine, and so is the rest of the team,” Trent said, noticing that Brock was looking around for someone and guessed it was his canine companion. “Apparently Pepper scared the paramedics a bit, and they’ve banned her from the hospital. Charlie’s K9 handler is watching her.”

Brock relaxed slightly in the bed. But his pain was coming back to the forefront, as the pain medication was starting to wear off. He bit off a groan as another agonizing pain spasmed in his chest. What the hell had happened? And why did it feel like he got run over by a tank?

“Clay went to get the doctor,” Trent explained, as if Brock didn’t see Clay dash out of the room himself. “You should be able to get another dose of pain meds soon,” he reassured Brock, his trained eyes picking up on Brock’s discomfort. 

Brock gripped the thin, scratchy blanket with his free hand and closed his eyes, not wanting to look at Trent and see his anxious glances. He tried to ignore the pain of his battered body as he waited for the doctor to return to the room. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to know what happened after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 23 Prompt ("don't look") for FebuWhump 2021.

Clay paced up and down the hallway, while Trent sat and watched him. The doctor had been in with Brock for a while now, doing all sorts of neurological checks. "You said that Brock said he didn't remember what happened?" 

Trent nodded. This was the third or fourth time that Clay had asked the same question.

"But that can be common after an assault, and is not necessarily indicative of brain damage," Clay added, trying to reassure himself by repeating what Trent had already said.

Trent nodded again. "All we can do is wait while Dr Andrews does her checks," Trent said, glancing towards the door to Brock's room. 

“I hate waiting,” Clay said, finally sitting down next to Trent, pouting slightly. Tapping his foot impatiently, he glared at the door, willing it to open. “I can’t wait here anymore,” Clay said, jumping up to his feet again. He was feeling jittery, and slightly anxious. He knew that he needed to do something to keep his mind off the worst case scenario. “I’m going to go next door and grab a coffee, do you want anything? I’ll check with whoever’s in the waiting room as well, see if anyone else needs a break or something to eat.” Trent shook his head no, so Clay headed into the waiting room to take orders.

xxxxx

Clay pushed open the doors to the waiting room with his backside, carefully balancing two take out trays of coffee in one hand and a large box of muffins in the other. Everyone had said that they didn’t want anything to eat, but Clay had taken one bite of the delicious banana chocolate chip muffins and realized how little he had eaten over the past 24 hours. So he grabbed a couple dozen assorted muffins, thinking that the rest of the team was probably in a similar situation. 

Clay wasn’t sure what to expect when he returned to hospital, but it wasn’t this. The waiting room was a chaotic mess. Mandy, Lisa, and Blackburn were huddled over work laptops, making phone calls and yelling at people on the other end. Jason was stalking back and forth, looking like he was going to punch something, while Ray and Sonny were trying to calm him down. And Trent and Full Metal were nowhere to be seen.

Clay set down the coffee and muffins on a table, reaching into the back of his jeans to grab his phone that had just pinged. Maybe they were being spun up? Which would be awful timing, with Brock still recovering. Punching in his code, Clay pulled up the email that had been sent to him.

“No, don’t look!” Full Metal barked at Clay. He had just returned from the cafeteria, hustling back after receiving a copy of the disturbing video himself. But it was too late.

Clay's hands shook as he watched the video that had been sent to him. The beating was horrific. Clay flinched at every hit and kick, every vocalization of pain from Brock. But the end was the worst. The words "tell your boyfriend" echoed through Clay's mind, as he raced over to the nearest garbage can to throw up. Tears sprung to his eyes as he continued to projectile vomit, nothing coming up but bile. Collapsing to the floor, the phone tumbled out of his grasp. Someone thought Brock was his boyfriend. This happened because of him, because of him coming out. Clay gripped his hair hard, trying to control his breathing but failing, tumbling into a full blown panic attack.

"Shit," Full Metal swore, as he watched Clay hyperventilating on the floor. "Max, go find Trent, would you?" He asked his girlfriend as he slowly approached Clay. She quickly dashed off to locate Trent, who they last saw by Brock’s room. 

"Clay? You need to slow your breathing," Full Metal said in his Alpha-1 voice, getting Clay's attention. "Now breathe in on my count 1-2-3-4, and then breathe out on my count 5-6-7-8." He said in a soft but firm voice, griping Clay's shoulder. Full Metal continued to repeat the counts, hoping it would work.

Clay couldn't help but follow Full Metal's instructions, his voice sounding firm and calming at the same time. It felt like ages, but Clay was finally able to slow his breathing down. He reached out and picked up his phone. "T-they sent a video," Clay managed to stutter, gripping his phone in anger. 

Full Metal nodded. It looked like the video was sent to every member of the Bravo team.

Clay took another deep breath, drying his eyes with the sleeve of Trent's sweatshirt that he’d stolen earlier in the day. With Full Metal's help, he stood up, only wobbling slightly. "They implied that Brock was my boyfriend, and that 'homos' don't belong in the military," Clay added, getting angrier the more he thought about it. 

“Well, they’re wrong,” Lisa said, appearing beside Clay. She had rushed over right after Full Metal said not to look, realizing that Clay hadn’t seen the video yet. “Clay, they tipped their hand by sending this video,” Lisa added, placing a hand on Clay’s shoulder and squeezing gently. At Clay’s curious look, she continued to explain her reasoning. “The fact that they thought Brock was your boyfriend eliminates anyone close to you as a suspect, including Bravo and most of the support team. And now we also have a video, which we can use to help identify the assailants.”

Clay nodded, agreeing with her conclusions. Clay snapped his fingers. “I might know someone who can help us in tracing the video. Just let me make a quick call,” Clay said, stepping near the door and away from his companions. Punching in a number, he waited for a response.

"Hello? How did you get this number?" Said a young female voice on the call.

"Hey, Riley? It's Clay, Mac's ex-boyfriend from college. We met at that conference, remember? I need help tracking down who sent me this," Clay said, quickly forwarding the message to Riley's email. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but one of our teammates has been assaulted and whoever sent this video is likely behind it all."

"Hey, no problem Clay. Give me a bit, and I'll get back to you." Riley was already distracted, chasing down the sender. 

"Thanks Riley, I owe you one," Clay added, ending the call. Ignoring the curious looks from Lisa and Full Metal, Clay slid his phone back into his pocket, not wanting to go into any more details. Riley was the best, she’d be able to track down these scumbags. Suddenly he remembered that Trent wasn’t in the room. “Has Trent seen the video?” He asked urgently, looking around for his partner. He was worried that his reaction might be similar to his own.

“What video?” Trent asked, catching the tail end of Clay’s question as he came back into the waiting room, trailing Max. He had been sitting outside of Brock’s room with Brandon and Alex, still waiting on updates from the doctor.

“Come with me for a few minutes, babe,” Clay said, tightly gripping one of Trent’s hands and pulling him out of the waiting room. Clay wanted to shield Trent from the video, but knew that his partner would want to see it. So instead he would protect Trent’s reaction from the rest of the team and allow him to watch the video in private.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for DAY 28: “you have to let me go” .

Trent’s grip on the edge of the phone got tighter and tighter as he watched the video. He had Clay’s hand grasped in his other hand and was constantly reminding himself to not squeeze his partner’s hand too hard. 

If someone had asked him to use one word to describe what he was feeling right now, he would have trouble finding the right word. Trent was already enraged at the assault, angry that someone could attack his brother in such a way. He was proud when Brock laid out one of his attackers with a well-placed hit, even without being able to see him, but then gasped out loud when he was quickly swarmed by three others. Similarly to Clay, he winced at each hit, shocked that Brock wasn’t more injured than he was. But then, when Trent heard the boyfriend comment, he immediately looked over at Clay, concerned about the impact that line had on his partner. 

Trent could see the pain in Clay’s eyes, the grief in his slumped shoulders. But he could also see concern in Clay’s look, directed at himself. Then it hit him. The attackers thought that Brock was Clay’s boyfriend. That attack was meant for him, not for Brock. 

Trent took a sharp breath in, trying to control his own emotions. It should be him lying in that hospital bed, not his younger brother. Tears sprung to his eyes as a rough sob escaped from him. 

Trent didn’t register that Clay had moved closer until he felt his partner’s arms wrap around him. “It’s not your fault, T,” Clay said quietly, gently kissing the top of Trent’s head. 

"It-it should have been me," Trent replied, a couple loose tears trickling down his face. “You have to let me go,” Trent choked out, trying to pull away from Clay. He didn’t deserve any reassurance, any comfort. 

But Clay wasn't letting him go anywhere. Clay tightened his hold on Trent, leaning his chin on his shoulder. "No, babe. It shouldn't have been anyone. And I’m not letting you go, I love you too much."

Trent turned into Clay's chest, trembling at the unfairness of it all. Clay was right. But that didn't help Brock, whose MRI results they were waiting on and that didn't help catch these homophobic assholes.

"I called Riley. She's going to help us track down who sent the video," Clay explained, as Trent began to relax in his arms.

Trent nodded, that was a good idea. From what Clay has told him, Riley didn't necessarily follow all the laws with her hacking, and they might need someone who's willing to cross those lines.

"What should we tell Brandon and Alex?" Trent asked, finally feeling like talking. He was worried that the news might hurt them even more. 

"The truth." Clay said simply, loosening his arms around Trent to grip both of Trent's hands with his. "And probably sooner, rather than later."

Trent shook his head in agreement and allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet. Trent tugged Clay into a full body hug, needing the comfort and support once more before they went to tell Brandon and Alex.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 20 (betrayal) and Day 26 (recovery) for FebuWhump 2021.

Clay took a deep breath, wringing his hands as he sat outside of Brock’s door, frustrated at his own reluctance to enter. He had waved off Trent’s offer of assistance, telling his partner that he should be the one to give an update to Brock, but now he was second guessing that choice. Even just having Trent with him might have been enough encouragement, his presence always calming and supportive, one of the many things he loved about the man.

Clay wasn’t sure he was strong enough to tell Brock on his own, but felt like it was the least he could do. After all, how do you tell someone that they are laying in a hospital bed, hurt, because of you? And not just because of your sexuality, not because you were outed in a traditionally male-dominated career, but because of your personal connections, your supposed friends?

Clay gripped the arm of the chair, letting the rage flow through him as he thought back to the call from Riley.

_“Hey, man,” Mac waved at Clay, him and Riley having dialed Clay on a video call. “Sorry I couldn’t check in earlier. How are you doing? How is your teammate doing?”_

_Clay smiled. They had just gotten the confirmation that there was no brain damage. “Good to see you Mac,” Clay responded honestly. He missed his friend. “Brock’s doing better. They think he might be able to get out of here in a few days.” He avoided Mac’s question on how he was doing, knowing that Mac would be able to read that he wasn’t fine even if he said he was._

_“Clay, I’ve been able to trace who sent the video.” Riley interrupted. “They attempted to erase their tracks, but didn’t do the best job. Does the name David Yoder mean anything to you?”_

Clay had passed the phone onto Mandy and Lisa to let them hash out the details with Riley after hearing that bombshell. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service had been brought in as well, and they were in the process of obtaining the appropriate arrest warrants right now.

The news had him reeling. Clay had done two tours with Yoder on Team 3 and thought they always had each other’s six. Heck, he even pushed Jason to have Yoder brought onto Bravo instead of Vic, thinking that Yoder would have made an excellent addition to the team. It was honestly the first time that Clay was happy that Jason had chosen Vic, if this was the type of person Yoder turned out to be.

Clay stood up abruptly. There was no point in sitting around wondering why Yoder did what he did, it was a waste of time. His friend deserved the truth. It was time to come clean to Brock. He knocked tentatively on the door and waited.

xxxxx

“Come in!” Brock said, wondering why whoever it was didn’t go ahead and enter the room like his friends and family had been doing all week. When he saw Clay enter the room, with such a serious look on his face, he knew something was up. “What’s going on Clay?” Brock asked, pressing the button to raise the head of the bed so he could see his brother more clearly.

Brock sat in disbelief as Clay filled him in on everything. Clay told him about the video that had been sent to the whole team, how he called Riley for help in tracking down the sender, and how she finally found out who had caused his assault.

“I’m sorry Brock,” Clay said softly, after a few minutes of awkward silence. “I guess Yoder must have heard about how much we hang out together out of work and jumped to the wrong conclusions. If I had known….” Clay hung his head, looking down at his shoes instead of at Brock.

“You would have what Clay?” Brock said, anger in his voice. But he wasn’t angry at Clay. “Not been my friend? You’re not responsible for the actions of a homophobic past teammate.” He added, pissed off that that was the way Clay was feeling.

Clay looked up at Brock, startled at his response. “But, this happened because of me. Because of me hanging out with you?” He said, sounding confused at Brock’s reply.

“No Clay, it didn’t. Did you tell Yoder that I was your boyfriend? And to hurt me?” Brock said, trying to point out how stupid Clay was being. “No you didn’t,” Brock answered himself. “Now please stop being sorry. I really don’t need that now.” Brock paused, trying to think of how to word what he wanted to say next. “I need my friend, Clay, back.” He said simply, figuring that honesty would be best at this point. It appeared to be the right thing to say as he watched a small smile appear on Clay’s face.

Brock motioned for Clay to pull up a chair. “So, tell me more about this Riley. Is she single?” Brock asked with a smirk.

“Now don’t start being the silly one here, Brock,” Clay replied, shaking his head. “We all saw Mandy sneak out of your room this morning,” he teased, watching Brock’s reaction to verify his hunch. At Brock’s slight blush, he knew he had been right. “So when did that start?” Clay asked, wanting the full scoop on his two friends hooking up.

Brock blushed a deeper shade of red. “I think that story requires some beer,” Brock replied, trying to avoid the question, relieved to hear a noise at the door.

Both Brock and Clay glanced over at the door in unison as Trent poked his head in the room. “Are we good to come in?” Trent asked, looking back and forth between Brock and Clay, concerned about both of the men after Clay’s news.

“Who’s we?” Brock asked curiously. But then he grinned as he saw Cerb’s nose poke around Trent’s leg. Seeing his past owner, Cerberus dashed into the room and up on the bed, giving Brock a big slobbery kiss and then tucked himself tight next to Brock’s hip.

Trent opened the door and motioned the rest of the team in. All of Bravo came in, with Sonny and Metal pulling a couple six-packs from the bags they had sneaked in with them. “Did someone say something about requiring beer?” Sonny asked with a grin, handing one to each teammate.

Brock looked hopefully at Trent, desperately wanting a beer as well but wasn’t sure it would be okay with his medication. Trent sighed and handed Brock an open beer, realizing that Brock couldn’t open it on his own . “Just one, and you can’t have your next dose of pain medication until four hours after you finish,” Trent calculated, looking briefly at Brock’s medical chart.

Brock sighed loudly as he took a swig of the ice cold beer. Surrounded by his team with a beer in hand was reassuring, a bit more like normal.

“Now don’t think this gets you out of telling us about Mandy,” Trent added, turning back to his chair and sitting down.

Brock groaned, shaking his head at his teammates' chuckles and whistles. Now it definitely felt like normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! I have such difficulty finishing longer chaptered stories that I was relieved when I actually figured out how I wanted this to end. I hope to write a few more fics for the FebuWhump 2021 prompts and then I'm going to write a bit on the start of their relationship, along with coming out to the team. Let me know what you thought in the comments!


End file.
